Kidnapped by the Junta: Inside Argentina's Wars with Britain and Itself

Description

On 12 May 1982 as the Falklands conflict became a shooting war, ITN journalist Julian Manyon and his TV crew were kidnapped on the streets of Buenos Aires and put through a traumatic mock execution by the secret police. Less than eight hours later they were invited to film a world exclusive interview with an apologetic President Galtieri, head of the Argentine Junta. Spurred on by the recent release of declassified CIA documents about Argentina's 'Dirty War', Manyon discovered the identity of his kidnapper and his terrifying record of torture and murder in the bloody struggle against left-wing opposition. Timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict, this book is an extraordinary personal insight into the war behind the war, seen through the eyes of a reporter who was fortunate to escape with his life.

Julian Manyon was a journalist specialising in international stories for more than 40 years, starting in Vietnam and working in Argentina during the Falklands War. He became a long-serving foreign correspondent for ITN, and has won numerous awards for his work. He lives in Suffolk.

Fascinating ... if this gripping account teaches anything, it is the folly of tyrannical regimes believing they can act with the same violence and impunity abroad as they do at home * The Spectator * Heart-thumpingly powerful ... history told from the closest and most frightening quarters. * SINCLAIR MCKAY, author of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park * A full-throttle adrenaline ride from the word go ... Manyon has a gift for recreating scenes from his past and the archives with almost cinematic visual details. * The Critic * [Manyon's] personal involvement gives an emotional charge to his writing and his book is full of chilling detail. * Literary Review * Shocking, terrifying and revealing. Ground-breaking history, expertly told - a dramatic new insight into the Falklands conflict. * ROGER BOLTON, BBC journalist and broadcaster * Drawing on a huge tranche of recently declassified US documents, Julian Manyon authoritatively nails the Argentine Junta's regime as one of the most depraved and deluded of modern times. After reading this book, packed with so much graphic new detail, I feel more fortunate than ever to have escaped Argentina with my life. * IAN MATHER, former defence correspondent of The Observer * Gripping ... a compelling account of a dark period of modern history. * STEPHAN SHAKESPEARE, founder and CEO of YouGov *